Dimitrios' World

The closure of the public broadcaster, ERT, in Greece and the ensuing debate reflects the reality of the country today where the public space has been so totally politicized by all the political parties, including those in the opposition, and their powerful unions to the point that their collective vested interests have converted the public good that ERT is supposed to represent into one more public enterprise that existed to propagandize in favour of the powers that be and as another vehicle of the patronage system that so effectively was put in place by the political parties representing Greece's representative democracy since the return to democracy in 1974....where patronage equates with providing jobs and political favors to relatives, party diehards and others that needed to be included in order to keep the system and the ensuing vested interests in place....the financial and economic crisis has brought about the biggest challenge to this self perpetuating system as it bei...

Crises by definition portend systemic adjustments and instabilities. At the same time, however, they –by and large– provide opportunities, be it structural economic and political changes, domestic reforms and cooperation with other states and non-state actors at the regional and international level. The global economic crisis exemplifies this duality. Also, the crisis is at the same time economic and geopolitical in scope. The current crisis also introduces a time element as its likely duration and span are uncertain. The economic effects lie beyond this commentary albeit it is safe to say that the relevant economic and social models of choice applied by governments to cope with it impact upon their political instruments and policy choices. This is particularly the case given the pressure and demand for the state authorities to assume a more intervening role in the functioning of the market The crisis finds the international order in flux having entered into a new era charac...